


Together

by Dominikki644



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Eventual Happy Ending, F/M, Fanart, Inspired by Fanart, Miscarriage, Post-War, Professor Neville Longbottom
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-21
Updated: 2021-02-21
Packaged: 2021-03-16 08:14:47
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,079
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29573049
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dominikki644/pseuds/Dominikki644
Summary: This is based of Drew Winchester's fanart "Together".  Which deals with her OC Audrey suffering an early stage miscarriage. She draws Neville/Audrey on instagram (drewwinchester), Linktree (drewwinchester), and Tumblr (drew-winchester). Please know that it deals with miscarriage. There is nothing graphic in this, but it is sad for the first chapter. The second chapter is happy though. I think there is a lot of stigma around miscarriage and I was happy to write this, but if this would be difficult for you to read then please don't. I say this because I do not wish to cause anyone unnecessary heartache.
Relationships: Neville Longbottom/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 28





	1. Chapter one

**Author's Note:**

  * For [skydrew](https://archiveofourown.org/users/skydrew/gifts).



> For those that know me you know I write a Neville/OC, but with the OC being Draco's twin sister. One thing I love about being in a fandom is there is room for all. Just because you like one Neville/OC doesn't mean you cannot like another too. I really like Drew's art and I love how sweet the story she paints is of Neville and Audrey. She does not write and I wanted to give story to Drew's art, but I want to remind everyone Audrey is not my OC. She is Drew Winchester's. I only wrote this based off what I knew from Drew's art, I did not make Audrey's personality, I just wrote a story with the personality that she had shown in her art work. After I wrote the story Drew was sweet enough to draw more pictures to go with it. I also want to point out that I had the artists permission to do this and made sure she agreed with the storyline. Drew was sweet enough to draw people's OCs on her instagram and I wanted to give her a gift for being so kind. 
> 
> I truly believe fanfiction is a community and I love it when other artists and authors support one another. There's room at the table for all kind of thing.

“Are you excited?” 

Neville glanced over at Audrey, who seemed about ready to burst with joy as they stepped into the clinic. Excited didn’t begin to cover it. He was a kaleidoscope of emotions. Excited, overjoyed, proud, and a whole other slew of feelings he couldn’t name. 

A baby. They were going to have a baby.

“Yeah,” he grinned. 

“I think we get a picture today too!” Audrey said excitedly, her voice low and high all at once. “Neville, we’re going to see our baby!”

It still didn’t quite feel real. Like, it was real, obviously. He had seen the test and he had definitely been there for all the trying, but even with all that he still felt like he was in a dream state. Nothing had sealed this as his reality. Then again he felt like the moment he met Audrey he had been in a dream state. He still would sometimes stare at her while she slept next to him and wonder if she was really real. And then wondered how he got so damn lucky. 

He watched her talk to the woman at the front desk, all her excitement bubbling out of her as she joyously welcomed mundane forms to fill out, and he was once again floored with the magic of her. Not only did this perfect woman love him, but she was carrying his child. She hugged his arm tightly as the receptionist ushered them down the hall.

He blinked. “Are we being seen already?” 

The woman in front of them smiled, her amber eyes looking back at them as if they had just shared a private joke. “Mrs. Longbottom is listed as a private patient.”

“Private patient?” Audrey and him exchanged quick glances at this information.

The woman hummed a reply, before opening a door to their room. “It just means we do a little more to ensure your privacy and comfort. Waiting in the room instead of the lobby, she will only be seen by healers that have finished all of their training—no students or residents—and her files are sealed from them as well. Nothing but the best for our war heroes,” she added with a wink.

Neville shifted uncomfortably. He didn’t particularly like that term, nor did he like being treated differently for what they did. He pushed all those feelings aside and did his best to nod gratefully. This was Audrey and if she could have better he wanted her to have it. Though, by the look on her face, she seemed about to say differently. He reached out and took her hand, silently pulling her close so he could lay his hand on her belly. Not that there really was anything showing, but it was a gesture he enjoyed. She looked up at him briefly before smiling. They were in agreement, nothing but the best for her and for what was to come.

“The technician will be in shortly. Mrs. Longbottom, you will want to undress from the waist down, there is a blanket to go on top of your lap.”

Audrey did as she was told and Neville looked awkwardly about the room. 

“Erm, I can—” He thought of something to do. “I can help with the forms if you like.”

“I think the Healer would appreciate my handwriting over yours,” Audrey said kindly, wrapping the blanket tighter around her bottom half as she started on the forms. 

“I think it’s much improved.” Neville laughed.

“You think that.” Audrey smiled teasingly. 

She started again with the questions, her hand absently playing with a lock of her hair as she concentrated. He loved her hair. He had loved it the moment he saw it, all rich browns and auburns intertwining to make a color that was uniquely Audrey’s. His thoughts drifted and suddenly he was sixteen, back at school, lying by the lake and she was kissing him, her hair cascading all around him, draping him in a scene of color and floral smells. At the time he had thought this was paradise and every day since she had proved that it was all just the beginning. 

“Neville, are you okay?”

Neville flushed and quickly wiped away the emotion from his eyes. He moved the stool he was sitting close enough to take her hand and swallowed against the lump in his throat. 

“I’m—” He took a breath and tried to regain himself. “I’m just so happy.”

Audrey smiled and he was suddenly all breathless and emotional again. “I am too.”

Sssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss

Audrey smiled silently to herself as Neville fidgeted in his seat as the ultrasound technician talked to them. He seemed to so desperately want to know what he should be doing at the moment that doing nothing but sitting seemed to not occur to him. One moment he looked like he wanted to stand, the next like he felt he should sit. He had moved to retake her hand a few times, before seemingly thinking better of it, as if taking her hand would throw off the other woman from doing her job. She tried very hard not to giggle at his awkwardness, but it was too endearing to not. 

“Lots of first time dads are nervous,” the other woman smiled patiently. “Mr. Longbottom, you can stand and hold your wife’s hand.” 

Neville flushed, but seemed thankful for the direction.

“Mrs. Longbottom, the first ultrasound is internal, so you just want to scootch down like your annual and lay back. We’re going to go through your cervix to get the images. Later on as your pregnancy progresses we use the abdominal ultrasound.”

Audrey did as she was instructed. Neville didn’t seem to understand the concept until he saw the device. His eyes widened and then he flushed and looked away. Audrey bit her lip to hide her amusement, but Neville definitely saw. He gave her a ‘how am I supposed to react’ look and then continued to avert his eyes. 

“You’re going to feel a bit of pressure here, just relax.”

Neville looked down at her again, his face all worry and concern.

“It doesn’t hurt,” Rey reassured, deciding that now was not the time for making inappropriate jokes. 

She shook her head and looked over to the screen on the wall. “I heard that we can have a 3D image. I know it’s the first appointment and it’s not so cute right now, but I was hoping we could—”

“We can do that,” the other woman said, giving a serene smile over the blanket. 

Audrey prickled with excitement. She didn’t even care that it would look like a shrimp more than a baby. She couldn’t wait to show everyone her little shrimp. Obviously, they would show family first, but then she was going to invite all their friends over for dinner. She would make all kinds of foods that went with a baby theme, though she didn’t have ideas of what foods to make now, she would once she got a bit organized. And she bet she could convince Neville to set up the whole thing outside in their garden. He loved dinner parties in their garden, with twinkling lights and beautiful centerpieces. She looked up at Neville to share this joy, but Neville’s face didn’t seem to hold any of the feelings she had expected. 

She watched as her husband’s face took on the same look it had worn during the war: hard, calculating, distant. 

“Is something wrong?” he demanded, causing Audrey to look over at the other woman.

The technician glanced up nervously and Audrey watched as she gave them both a tight smile, before saying that the healer had to read the images and she wasn’t to give them such information.

Neville’s eyes narrowed and his grip on her hand tightened. “Are we not to see any images before the healer arrives? I was under the impression you were able to show us them.”

“I will be right back with the healer,” the other woman swore, standing up and leaving them. For a brief moment Audrey thought Neville was about to follow after her and she gripped his hand tighter. 

“Neville,” she said desperately, looking up at him and trying to contain her own panic. 

“It’s going to be okay,” Neville promised, kissing the top of her head and moving closer. 

“Do you think something is wrong?”

Neville pressed his lips together and leaned down so they were eye to eye. “If something is wrong, it will be okay.”

She could already feel the panic welling up in her. A million scenarios were bombarding her. Each one was more painful than she expected. Was she not really pregnant? Was the test wrong? Did she lose the baby? She couldn’t have lost the baby, though, she wasn’t bleeding and she didn’t have any pain. She even had morning sickness, surely everything was fine. She opened her mouth to tell all this to Neville when the door opened.

“Mr and Mrs. Longbottom,” the man greeted. He was older, with sandy hair a bit darker than Neville’s. He gave them each a tight smile and held out his hand to them each. “I’m Healer Harris. It’s an honor to meet you both.” 

Audrey suddenly missed her old healer. She had switched just before finding out she was pregnant. They had been trying for so long with no results and her healer hadn’t been able to give her any answers. At first when she had noticed that she and Neville were not conceiving her healer had pointed out that they typically don’t start looking at the reasons why until the couple had been “actively trying” for a year. So for the next year she and Neville “actively” tried. She kept track of her cycle, took her temperature, laid in bed after for an hour, they threw themselves into the process to the point where each period felt like a defeat.

It was after a year of this defeat that she felt she couldn’t waste her time any longer. She liked her healer, but she felt like there was a lack of urgency on her side. She was bitter that she didn’t check anything and when a year had passed she blamed her for the lost time. She had been told Harris was amazing and after a month or so of looking into other Healers she had settled on the same opinion. 

And then it happened, almost a few days after she had scheduled an appointment she was pregnant and calling the office back to change her appointment from a fertility evaluation to establishing care as a pregnant woman. She looked at this man that she had been told was brilliant and, while she was sure he was, he didn’t seem brilliant to her then. He was just a stranger. She suddenly desperately missed the familiarity of her original healer. She shook his hand all the same as did Neville and he sat down where the technician had been. 

“Mrs. Longbottom, I am going to take another look here and—”

“What’s going on?” Neville demanded, moving so that his arm was wrapped around her shoulders. “Is something wrong?”

Healer Harris gave a slight nod and then patiently folded his hands together.

“Your baby is measuring at five weeks gestation,” he began gently, moving his eyes from Neville to her. “Based on when your last period was the baby should be measuring much bigger.”

Audrey swallowed against the lump in her throat and looked over to the corner of the room to try to stop the pricking of tears. 

“Is there a heartbeat though?” she asked thickly.

“At this point in development there wouldn’t be. Heartbeats don’t come until about six weeks.”

Audrey frowned. None of this made sense. She didn’t understand what the problem was, she knew there was a problem, based on how the healer was looking at her, but she didn’t know what it was. 

“Typically, when we see this it means that for whatever reason, the embryo just stopped growing. It could also mean that the point of conception was off. That maybe you became pregnant later than you thought.”

“So the baby could be fine,” Neville said hopefully. “Just younger than we expected.”

Harris gave a tight nod. “I do doubt that is the case though.”

“But,” Audrey paused and bit her lip against a sob. “I’m not bleeding or cramping. I-I still have morning sickness,” she sniffed, hastily wiping away the tears that were cascading down her cheek.

“You still have the hormones that began with implantation,” he explained gently. 

“But I did everything right,” she said definitely. “I have taken prenatals for a year. I don’t drink any caffeine. I—”

“This is no one's fault,” Harris emphasized. “This happens. Most women will experience this type of miscarriage. Most are fortunate enough to not even know they were pregnant. They just think it was a bad period. I know you two have been trying, so you pay more attention to when your cycle is. That combined with you getting slightly further along and your uterus not clearing makes this harder.”

“Audrey, there is no reason to believe you won’t get pregnant again. Most women have a miscarriage and then go on to have children. The odds are the next pregnancy will be perfect,” he consoled, giving Neville a sympathetic glance as well. “So many people go through this, but sadly there is a stigma regarding miscarriage. I know you feel alone, but you are not alone.”

It was too much, she turned to Neville and cried openly against him. He moved to sit beside her and cradled her into his chest as she openly sobbed. 

“What happens now?” Neville asked tiredly. Audrey closed her eyes and he gently ran his fingers down her hair.

“I’ll need you to make an appointment for two weeks from now. At that time we will do another ultrasound to see if the uterus has cleared itself and also to see if there is any growth.”

“But you don’t think there will be growth,” Neville clarified, his voice thick with emotion.

“I’m sorry. I don’t,” Harris said gently. “If you have any bleeding or cramping, call the office, but know it’s your uterus naturally taking care of itself. If you develop a fever then you should go to the hospital.”

“What does a fever mean?” Neville asked.

“It could mean an infection, so we would want to see her right away, but that is not something that happens often.”

“Shouldn’t she stay here?” Neville gawked. “Be monitored or something? Why are you sending her home? Something is wrong, why can’t we take care of it? I mean, surely, there are ways to determine if the baby is alive or not, even at this stage and if it’s not then why can’t you take it out?”

Audrey peeked up at Neville angrily waiting for a reply. He hurt, she knew he was hurting as much as she was, but she just wanted to leave. She wanted to go home and cry, or maybe scream. She didn’t know, but she did know that she couldn’t feel what she needed to feel here. Here she had to suppress her agony in order to not be seen as hysterical. 

“I know this all sounds scary and you want to take care of your wife, but this is all very natural. This is a part of the journey, a sad part, but a part nonetheless. If there was a way for me to know, a spell or a test, believe I would use it. But for now we must wait and see what happens.”

“The important thing here is to remember that you two got pregnant. That is huge. You two have won half the battle. Even though this pregnancy didn’t go to term this is proof that you are able to get pregnant, that the odds are nothing is wrong.”

ssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss

Neville wasn’t sure what he should say or do. Every sentence he tried to string together just floated in the air like new snow before falling to the ground and melting away. Audrey had cried a good deal yesterday, they both had, and then towards the end of the night she seemed to just—Neville didn’t know. It wasn’t that she stopped, it was almost like she was too tired to feel anymore so she just shut down. 

He had never felt more helpless in his entire life. He laid in bed next to her and tried to think of what he could possibly do to make this better. The thought of the next two weeks being like this made him sick to his stomach. He couldn’t stand two weeks of Audrey being this broken and sad, but he also realized that it was impossible for them to move on when they didn’t have any real answers.

Rey had gone to bed early the night before and all the animals, minus Iduna, had gone with her. Iduna had stayed beside him as though the cat felt he needed someone. The whole house seemed to have stepped into a state of mourning, even Pim, their pygmy puff, seemed to sense that something was amiss.

He believed what the Healer had said. It stopped growing and wouldn’t grow, but based on a few conversations from last night it seemed Audrey was still holding on to some bit of hope that they would go to their next appointment and there would be growth. He hadn’t said anything to agree or disagree. He wasn’t sure what was right. How could he just crush her hope? Hope got them through so much, especially during the war. But this hope frightened him. He didn’t want to see that look of devastation on Audrey’s face ever again.

Bloody hell, he was about to cry again. Neville gritted his teeth and looked up at the ceiling. He had to be stronger than this now. He couldn’t get upset like this, if Audrey saw him crying she would start crying. And he didn’t need to be a legilimens to know that Audrey, despite what the doctor had said, blamed herself. One of the cats heard him stirring and he felt an added weight to his wrist as it crept over to him, but he didn’t stay long enough to find out which cat it was.

He silently crept out of the bedroom and went to the kitchen. The winter sun still had not arrived leaving him to stand in the quiet stillness of the house as the rest of the household slumbered. He leaned against the sink and ran his fingers through his hair as he tried to organize a plan for the day. His mind still felt like it was in disarray, but he was eventually able to figure out what he felt would be best. He quickly wrote a letter to McGonagall and then started making breakfast. 

He imagined Rey would be waking up soon, if she was not already up. He had a feeling that she was up now, but he also didn’t want to intrude if she needed a few private moments. He was here, she knew he was here. It was okay for her to have some time to gather herself. He had time this morning, so it was only fair he allowed her this time now.

He had just finished breakfast when she came out of the bedroom. He watched nervously as she surveyed the kitchen. 

“How are we feeling today?” he asked, taking the plates to the breakfast table.

“Fine,” Audrey answered noncommittally. Neville eyed the way she pulled at the sleeves of her yellow jumper. “Thank you for making breakfast.”

Neville gave her a tight smile and gestured for her to take a seat. He cautiously went over to where he had the tea brewing and tried to still his mind long enough to make his voice sound more casual than he felt.

“I, erm, wrote to McGonagall and let her know that we wouldn’t be in today. I thought that a long weekend would do us good,” he explained, setting a mug of tea down in front of her.

Audrey blinked rapidly and frowned at this announcement. “I-I didn’t need you to do that. I was planning on going to—the Healer said I could continue to do everything I usually do and—” She paused and looked up at him tearfully. “Did you tell her why?”

“No,” Neville said firmly, taking the seat beside her. “No, I did not. I said it was a personal matter and we both needed the day.”

Audrey looked away. He was right and she knew he was right. She bit her lip and nodded, murmuring her thanks. Neville kissed her temple gently and she stilled the air in her lungs. She didn’t want to cry anymore. She mechanically picked up a knife and began buttering her toast, not really feeling any desire to eat it, but knowing she should. 

“I can’t eat this,” she frowned, looking down at the eggs Neville had made.

“I think it’s important you eat a little,” Neville murmured gently. “I know—”

“No, I can’t eat this because the eggs are runny,” Audrey pointed out. “It’s bad for the baby, my eggs have to be well done. Remember?”

Neville’s eyes pinched together slightly and she sat defiantly as he searched her face, before he schooled his features to something more neutral.

“I forgot. I’m sorry,” he said cautiously, picking up her plate and moving to the kitchen. “I’ll make you scrambled eggs.”

Audrey held her breath against the burning now in her eyes. “You don’t think there’s a chance do you? You think that it’s passed,” she accused, wiping away her tears angrily. “The Healer said there’s a chance. He said that the date of conception could just be off.”

“He did,” Neville acknowledged, breaking a few eggs into a bowl. 

“I’m not ready to accept that this is over, I’m not ready to give up hope.”

Neville stopped in his mixing and she watched as he seemed to wrestle with himself.

“Hope is a wonderful thing, as we both know. It has helped us through so many terrible times, the darkest of times, but- but false hope is - it can be very damaging,” he whispered. “And I worry that clinging to such a small fraction of hope, hope that the healer only begrudgingly gave us, will only hurt more in the end.”

She felt her jaw vibrating against the truth of his words. 

“I did everything right,” she hissed. “Everything,” she repeated savagely. 

“Oh, Rey,” Neville whispered, moving towards her.

She moved away from his arms, she didn’t want the comfort. She didn’t want to feel better, to be settled. This was hers, this pain, this anger that she had pushed down as she tried for the past year to be positive about it all. 

“No! I did it all!” She wept, grabbing at the bottles of prenatals she had taken for the past year and throwing them against kitchen island. The pills that tasted awful, that she had spent the better part of six months learning how to gag down. “I took the prenatals! I drank the tea!” 

Neville jumped as he watched Audrey throw out the boxes and boxes of tea they had purchased. 

“I didn’t eat soft cheese.” Neville flinched as the mug from their trip to the island shattered against the floor. He didn’t know what to do. He watched as his happy-go-lucky wife grabbed at anything she could find and chucked it down to the floor. He felt like he was watching the last year of frustration and despair pool out of her all at once. And a part of him wanted to join her in this destruction. 

“I didn’t drink! I had you change the kitty litter! I stopped drinking caffeine! I ate exactly what I was supposed to and kept away from all the things I was supposed to!” When there was nothing left to break, Audrey sank to the floor. 

“I did everything right,” she pleaded, as if there were some god before her that could right this wrong. “My baby should be alive because I did _everything_ right.”

Neville cautiously stepped into the ruin of their kitchen and moved to be beside his wife as she sobbed uncontrollably. She turned and clung to him the instant he sat beside her and he held her close as she broke down in his arms repeating over and over that she was sorry. 

“This is no one's fault, Rey,” Neville murmured thickly, unable to contain his own agony any longer. 

“No. No, there has to be a reason. It clearly cannot be your fault, but I had it. I was pregnant, the baby was in me, so something had to happen. Something is wrong with me.”

“No,” Neville sniffed. “No. This is not your fault. It just happened. It just stopped growing. That’s not on you, it’s not on anyone. It just wasn’t meant to be. Somethings are not meant to be.”

Audrey shook her head. “I have an Order of Merlin. I fought in a war. I saved dozens of lives,” she reminded him thickly. “I take in every animal I find and nurse them to health. I-I don’t know why this is happening to me. It’s not right. It’s—”

“Oh, Rey, you know it doesn’t work that way,” Neville sighed, closing his eyes against the unfairness of it all.

“It should though! I should be able to have a baby, Neville.” She knew she was being unreasonable, but she didn’t care. She hurt and she wanted Neville to see this hurt in her, because she couldn’t carry it alone. Neville stared down at her and brushed the emotion from her cheeks.

“We will have a baby,” Neville stated firmly. “Just not this one.”

sssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss

Neville had left to run a quick errand. Audrey laid in bed and tried to not think about what was happening to her. It had now been a full day since she got the news and it had honestly felt like a form of torture. Every moment she would jump between wondering if the baby was alive, or if it had indeed passed. About half an hour after Neville left she had her answer in the form of some red spots on her underwear.

And that was it. In an odd way it felt better to know. She called her Healer and he explained what was happening. She was told she could have some simple over the counter pain relief, but she didn’t feel she needed anything. It was just over and she laid in bed accepting that fact. She was sad and she grieved the loss of what could have been, but the psychological terrorism of not knowing was gone.

She took a breath as she heard Neville walk in the front door. She didn’t move to greet him, she was comfortable where she was and knew Neville would join her. When their bedroom door opened, she suddenly was overwhelmed with another urge to cry. She laid still on her side and tried to get her mind back to the peace she had a few moments ago, unwilling to accept this next wave of grief trying to wash over her. She felt the bed dip and Neville’s arm come around her torso and she wept quietly in the embrace.

“I started bleeding.”

Neville didn’t realize how much the confirmation would hurt and he pulled Audrey closer to him so he could hide his own tears in the crook of her neck. He knew, he had known in the Healer’s office when he saw the technician pause and nervously look over what she was doing. The moment she had stolen a glance up and accidentally met his eyes he had known that it was over. But now it was officially over and in some way maybe he had harbored some hope. 

He wanted to ask if she was feeling okay, if she needed anything, if she called the Healer, but he couldn’t ask anything. They held each other and just cried. All the excitement that they had felt was replaced with grief. They mourned a loss they couldn’t even name. He pulled Rey closer to him and reminded himself of what he had. Even with this loss his life was still perfect, it was still complete. All he ever wanted from the moment he had met Rey was to be with her every day and never have to part from her. And then as they got older he prayed to whatever gods would listen that she would return the feelings he had for her. And when he thought of all that happiness he was granted this pain seemed manageable, even small, in comparison.

“I have something for you,” he said, moving off the bed to grab one of the bags from his outing. 

Rey took the pot from Neville and stared in confusion at the gift. It looked like a stick in the soil. 

“It’s an orchid,” Neville murmured. “It hasn’t bloomed. I specifically asked for one that hasn’t bloomed.”

“You see orchids actually have a lot of meaning. Love, beauty, strength- all things I associate with you.” He smiled sheepishly. “And, well, the Greeks also associated them with fertility.”

Neville flushed. “You know they even believed if a man ate one it would help with virility and if he laid with his wife it would be a boy.”

“Planning on eating some orchids, Nev?” Rey teased, knocking her leg against him.

Neville rolled his eyes at this. “My point is this orchid is special. It hasn’t bloomed, there’s nothing wrong with it, it is perfectly capable, it just hasn’t bloomed. In five years according to the man I bought it from. One day it will though and one day we will have a baby. Until then, we can be like this orchid. We can thrive, the blooms are just added bonuses.”

“You wouldn’t feel like you were missing out?”

“No,” Neville swore. “I really wouldn’t.”

Rey smiled and Neville could tell some weight had been taken away from her. 

“At least we have one kid,” she nodded.

Neville blinked. “What?”

“Calin,” Rey repeated. “ _Our kid._ ”

Neville just sat in confusion.

“The goat,” Rey giggled.

_Goats are kids._ Neville shook his head but couldn’t help but laugh. “I shouldn’t encourage this,” he snorted. “You and your bad jokes.”

“You love my awful jokes,” Rey grinned.

“I love you,” he whispered, taking her hand. “We’re going to get through this. The same way we always do.”

“Together,” she nodded, her face as devastatingly beautiful as ever, even red and splotchy. 

“Together.”


	2. Chapter 2

“It’s been an hour!” Neville exclaimed, leaning over and showing Audrey his watch. “Every five minutes for an hour!”

Audrey nodded, but was more focused on breathing through this last contraction. She looked morosely down the road. It was hot and they had been walking for hours trying to further her labor. Neville looked like he was ready to bound down the road to be home, but he held himself back and supported her as they continued to walk back. By the time they reached the door she could feel her hair soaked to her back.

“Okay, I’ll get the bags, snacks, and did you want me to bring your pillow? I know the hospital has pillows, but a lot of the books say that a familiar smell can make you feel more at ease during delivery and— What are you doing?” Neville asked, his eyes widening as Audrey started undressing. In the kitchen. 

“I’m going to take a shower,” she panted, leaving a trail of discarded clothes in her wake as she made her way to the bathroom.

“But… but...” Neville looked at his watch. “It’s time!” he exclaimed, as though those words were answer enough.

Audrey waved her hand nonchalantly. “Just a quick shower,” she swore. “Trust me, love, this baby isn’t coming yet. I don’t want to show up all sweaty and gross.”

Neville scowled in dismay. “But... but... you’re going to end up sweaty and gross,” he said slowly.

“But I don’t want to _show up_ sweaty and gross. It’s fine, we have time,” Audrey reassured, giving him an exhausted smile as Neville followed her into the bathroom. She seemed to sense how discomforted he was and gently brushed his cheek in reassurance. “I just... I just want to look ready and feel—” She searched for the words. “—refreshed? I don’t know.”

“O-okay,” Neville murmured, running his hands through his hair unsurely. “I’ll just get our things then.”

Audrey popped her head out from the shower curtains and blew him a kiss before disappearing and turning on the taps. Neville stood there awkwardly for a moment before going to their bedroom and taking out the luggage they pre-packed. He decided to bring the pillow, too scared of underpacking, then overpacking. Besides, he hated the smell of hospitals; it always reminded him of his parents’ ward. He liked the idea of having something that smelled like home for himself too. He gathered everything on the bed and then went to the nursery to find the smaller one Audrey had packed for their new addition. He peeked in, taking a look at the tiny yellow dress and Gryffindor onesie, unable to believe that soon his little girl would be wearing them. He smiled at the thought and also nervously shut the bag, not wanting to notice how small these items were, lest he become more nervous than excited.

When he got to the room Audrey was still not out, which was curious considering she didn’t take that much time to get ready. He walked into the bathroom to find his very pregnant wife trying in vain to shave her legs. 

“What are you doing?” He moved over to her and put a hand on her back to balance her better, his arm getting soaked by the shower as he tried to make sense of his wife’s actions. “You’re in labor! What if you fell?”

“I don’t want everyone to see how hairy my legs are,” Audrey flushed. “They’ve gotten really bad and—”

“I don’t think anyone will care that your legs are hairy. The Healer has been checking you every week for the past month so he certainly doesn’t care, and I don’t care.”

Audrey’s cheeks pinked even more.“I’m not worried about you or my Healer, but all the medi-witches will see.” Neville blinked in confusion. “Girls dress up for girls,” Audrey clarified. “And everyone is going to be down there. I don’t want to be embarrassed.”

That was insane. This was insane. Neville wondered if his wife knew she was being out of her mind crazy. He reminded himself that he was to be supportive and the last thing he wanted was for his wife to be so self conscious regarding her legs that she couldn’t enjoy this experience. 

“Okay,” he whispered in defeat. “I’ll shave your legs and then we go.”

“Really?” Audrey asked softly. “That’s not too gross?”

“It’s not gross at all,” Neville reassured, taking the razor from her hands. “You know if you were having issues doing this yourself I would have helped you during the pregnancy.”

Audrey shifted uncomfortably and muttered something about being embarrassed and it not being important. To which Neville just chuckled softly and reminded her that there was no need to be embarrassed.

He shaved her legs, being particularly careful not to cut her. And even helped her with some lotion, which he would be lying if he said he didn’t enjoy. When she was finally dressed in the outfit she had laid out for the occasion, he felt like he could breathe a sigh of relief. It was done. They were ready and now could leave.

“Thank you,” Audrey sighed, leaning in and giving him a kiss. “I just—I was so gross after the walk and then in the shower I noticed my legs and—”

“It’s fine,” Neville reassured. “Now, let's go have a baby.”

Audrey let out an excited giggle before grabbing her purse. Neville picked up all the luggage, double checking that he had everything they needed. 

They were no more than a foot out the door when Audrey’s water broke. Neville stared down at the puddle Audrey was standing in.

“Oh no,” Audrey sniffed. 

“It’s okay,” Neville reassured. “We have plenty of time. Not a big deal at all, we’ll just—Audrey, what are you doing?”

“I have to get cleaned up and changed!” Audrey exclaimed, waddling up to the house as fast as she could go.

“No you bloody well don’t,” Neville groaned” “Audrey, your water broke, we have to go! You could do a drying spell!”

“The drying spell won’t make me feel clean or get rid of the smell. You just said we had plenty of time.”

“Because I didn’t want to panic in front of you!”

Audrey bit her lip against a smile. “Are you panicking, love?” She asked, her voice tight with restrained laughter. 

Neville dropped the bags unceremoniously on their lawn. “Go get dressed,” he relented, shaking his head. 

Audrey nodded and started to head back in the house. She stopped in the doorway though and bent over, her hands flaying on her abdomen as it tightened unbearably in a contraction. 

“Neville,” she whimpered.

Neville was over by her side so quickly she would have thought he apperated there. “They’re much stronger now. Can you stay with me? Help me again in the loo?”

“Or we could go,” Neville begged. “There is even a bathtub in the labor and delivery room. You can get cleaned up there.”

Audrey shook her head again. “Please, just help me. I can’t go like this, please don’t make me go like this.”

“I’m sorry. I know I’m being irrational. I know it doesn’t make sense, but—” Audrey stopped and seemed to be wrestling with herself. “You are being so wonderful and I couldn’t do this without you, Neville. But I need to be in control. I know my body and… and I know her. Just let me do what feels right.”

She looked up at Neville pitifully and was relieved when he nodded in agreement. She could tell he was still unsure, that he was worried. Neville was definitely wanting to get her to the hospital where there were professionals all around, but he put his wants aside at least for now to give her what she wanted. He held her close over to the shower and when another contraction came he was quick to put her arms around his shoulder. “They only last a minute, Rey. You can do anything for a minute. I’ve seen you battle for hours, already at thirty seconds it’s going to start feeling better. There you go, see?”

“Well, someone was paying attention during that lamaze class,” Audrey laughed, taking off her soaked pants. 

“I wanted to be prepared,” Neville shrugged, stepping into the tub himself before helping her in.

“Are we showering together, Mr Longbottom?” 

“I’m scared you’re going to fall.”

“Are you going to undress?” Rey laughed. 

“Best not to,” Neville flushed. “I’ll do a drying spell.”

Audrey laughed louder at Neville’s confession. “Does this do it for you?”

“You naked in the shower. Yes, absolutely.”

“Even though I’m bigger than an erumpent?” Audrey asked flatly, looking down at her enormous belly and the stretch marks that had shown up in the last month.

Neville tilted her chin up so she was staring up into his eyes. “You look beautiful. Seeing you like this glowing and round with _my_ child—” He paused as though searching for words. “You’re like a vision out of a dream I never knew I had. You have no idea how gorgeous you are in this moment, Audrey.”

She stared up at him breathlessly, her heart feeling as it had when he first took her hand and blurted out that he loved her. How far they had come from that day to this moment now. This moment where he felt he could say anything and do anything and know that she would be there. Where he didn’t fumble with his words, because she gave him no reason to be embarrassed of them. 

“I love you,” she whispered, tears coming to her eyes as she leaned up and kissed him.

“I love you too,” he murmured, pulling her closer and seeming to forget for a moment his own panic. 

Audrey grunted as another contraction came and Neville was quick to snap out of his love sick fog at the sound.

“I love you, but it’s time to go,” Neville stated.

Audrey had never showered more quickly in her life. She pulled on an old beach dress from a vacation she and Neville had taken, deciding that it would be a lot more comfortable than anything else in her closet. She could hear Neville cursing under his breath as the drying charm didn’t dry him but left him damp.

“I think you’re going to have to change,” Rey laughed.

Neville was already flinging off his clothes, and she was just about to tell him that his shirt was on backwards when another wave of pain hit her. She leaned her hands on the bed and focused on her breathing and by chance looked up to her nightstand.

“Neville,” she breathed. “Neville, the orchid is blooming.”

“Orchids don’t bloom in May,” Neville stated matter of factly, as he quickly tried to get his socks and shoes on.

“Okay, well tell that to my orchid it’s definitely blooming,” Audrey pointed out. She turned to find Neville still hadn’t looked, he was too preoccupied with turning his shirt around now that he noticed it was backwards.

“I’m ready, let’s go.”

“Neville, stop. Look,” Audrey ordered. Neville blinked in confusion before realizing she was still talking about the orchid. He looked over to Audrey’s night stand and stilled before going over and examining the plant himself.

“It is blooming,” he whispered. 

“One day it will bloom and one day we will have a baby,” Audrey whispered. “Just like you promised.”

Neville looked up at her from where he was holding the plant, as if he didn’t quite understand himself how this was happening.

“Let’s go.” Audrey smiled. “It’s time.”

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you all enjoyed this. Don't forget to leave a kudo or a comment ! A lot of collaboration went into this and I am so happy to give a story line to Drew's art. I am a big fan. Special thanks to Drew for allowing me to gift her this (and for her gift of a drawing of my OC to me) and also to my beta Denarii for editing this for us.


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